December 14, 2022

Join Us for Our LGBT MPA Closing Night Reception at PCMA Convening Leaders 2023!

Join us for LGBT MPA's Closing Night Networking Reception, in partnership with our Official Sponsors, Experience Columbus, Meet AC, and Visit Britain at PCMA Convening Leaders 2023!

Our Networking Reception will be held on Tuesday, January 10th at 5:30PM - 7:30PM EST at the Lumin Skybar and Kitchen at the AC Hotel by Marriott, Downtown Columbus!

Join us from 5:30pm – 7:30pm for cocktails, hors d’ oeuvres, music, and entertainment from Columbus' own, Anisa Love. Come network, meet new people, and discover new opportunities with us!



Tickets will also be available at the door during the event!

Panel Discussion on Gender's Impact on the Business Event Industry!

LGBT MPA will be attending PCMA Convening Leaders for the sixth year! This year, we will be presenting an education session, Gender's Impact on the Business Event Industry on Monday, January 9th at 11AM!

During this conversation, a gender-diverse panel of business event strategists will share their stories and insights into their professional experiences. The panelists will also discuss the range of current challenges and barriers that members of the transgender community have and continue to face when booking and attending events.

Learn to: understand the experiences of gender-diverse populations as they relate to the business events industry, gain awareness of existing and future implications regarding transgender issues and business events, and identify opportunities and methods to make events safer and more inclusive for transgender, nonbinary and gender-expansive participants.

Join us at PCMA Convening Leaders to learn more about how to create business events that are gender-expansive and inclusive!

The 19th Explains: Why the Respect for Marriage Act Doesn’t Codify Same-Sex Marriage Rights

How Events Can Embrace Diversity and Champion Inclusion

"Event professionals have the power to create gatherings that respect cultural differences, foster empowerment, and encourage unique perspectives. Find top tips for making your events more inviting to everyone."

tag/talk | June 15, 2022

5 Trends to Take Your Events From ‘Back to Normal’ to ‘Better Than Ever’

"The industry may be celebrating the return of in-person events and meetings, but that doesn't mean anyone wants to go back to business as usual. Here are five event trends that will help your meetings live up to shifting attendee expectations."

Skift Meetings | December 8, 2022

Special Shoutout to our Newest Collaborative Partner, Visit Dallas!

Special Shoutout to our Newest Promotional Partners, Visit Pittsburgh and Visit Indy!

TUREspaña: Picasso Celebration

On 8 April 2023, we will be celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the death of Pablo Picasso. The event will mark the international celebration of the work and artistic legacy of the Spanish genius, to take place in Spain and elsewhere in 2023. It will be a "Picasso Year" to enjoy an extensive cultural programme and learn more about one of the key figures in art history.

During this great cultural celebration, around 50 events and exhibitions are expected to be held in different museums and institutions in Spain, France, Germany and the United States, among other countries. As a whole, the programme will show how current Pablo Picasso's work still is, and will offer the chance to delve into unpublished aspects of his production. There will also be two essential events for historians, experts and scholars of the Spanish artist: a conference in Madrid, focusing on the context of the first avant-garde Picasso, and an international symposium in Paris that will take stock of the research and interpretations of his work.

In Spain, the Picasso Celebration 1973-2023 will begin in October 2022, with the opening of two temporary exhibitions on the painter: Julio González, Pablo Picasso and the dematerialisation of sculpture, at the MAPFRE Foundation in Madrid, and Picasso / Chanel at the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum. The Picasso museums in Malaga and Barcelona, the Reina Sofía Museum, the Prado Museum, the Casa Natal Picasso and the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao are some of the Spanish centres and institutions hosting activities related to the great artist during the "Picasso Year". It will be a unique, unmissable occasion.



What about you? Take note. You can find below the scheduled exhibitions in Spain!

10 Must-See Stops Near the New Metro Silver Line Stations

Toot toot!

After several years of construction, the train is finally in the station. November 15 marks the official opening of the Metrorail Silver Line in Loudoun, with three stops - Washington Dulles International Airport, Loudoun Gateway in Sterling and Loudoun Station in Ashburn - finally connecting DC’s Wine Country® to the capital by public rail. While the train is sure to be a boon to commuters, it’s also an opportunity for businesses and attractions close to the stops to share some of the limelight.



Here we select 10 must-visit places within walking distance to a station or a short Uber, Lyft or taxi ride away.

Washington Dulles International Airport Station

Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center: Get off at this stop and you’re steps away from catching a flight to Cape Town or Cancun. You’re also a short drive away from finding out all about the history of flight. Among the exhibits at this sprawling museum and cultural center are the space shuttle Discovery, the Enola Gay that dropped the atomic bomb, the Concorde and flight capsules from the Apollo moon missions. The museum is also home to a spectacular IMAX surround sound theater, the perfect place to see movies like Top Gun: Maverick.

King Spa: Stressed after a hard day’s work in the city? Order a rideshare and make your way to this vast, three-story Korean-inspired wellness complex on Route 50, just minutes from the station. Modeled on the traditional Jjim-Jil Bang spas of South Korea, a pass gets you access to state-of-the-art steam rooms, saunas, thermal baths, mud rooms and a restaurant and juice bar, as well as to a vast rooftop swimming pool complex replete with waterfalls, showers and hot tubs. You can also order authentic Korean, Thai and Japanese massages, scrubs and facials from skilled professionals.

Loudoun Gateway Station

Summit Ropes Indoor Adventure: Get the blood flowing and the muscles flexing at this 16,550 square-foot indoor ropes center – the largest of its kind in the U.S. Guests wear a full body climbing harness for safety and get to scale high ladders and hazards over the 120-obstacle course, making split second decisions on direction to go and risks to take along the way. While it’s excellent physical fitness, it also teaches teamwork, perseverance, responsibility and problem solving.

Rocket Frog Brewing: Fancy a thirst quencher after a long ride? Cold craft beer awaits only eight minutes’ drive away at this popular Sterling brewery named for the famous image of the frog hurled into a cloud of smoke from the force of the LADEE spacecraft launch on Wallops Island in 2013, captured by a NASA photographer. Aside from the cute frog icon on all the cans and bottles, the brewer also makes space themed beers like the Halo Orbit sour and the barrel-aged Roscosmos Russian Imperial stout, as well as a Wallops Island brown ale, a two-time winner at the Great American Beer Festival. Space out.

Crooked Run Fermentation: Beer, cocktails and tacos under one roof? This stylish complex in Sterling houses a taproom of popular Crooked Run Fermentation brewery, an outpost of spicy New-Mexican restaurant Señor Ramon Taqueria and the trendy craft-focused cocktail bar Nectar where skilled bartenders mix up a variety of classic and original cocktails. There’s a lively post work crowd to hang out with, too. If you fancy a breakfast snack before your commute, the facility also houses cozy brunch spot Daybreak Kitchen & Biscuit Co.  The world is your oyster – or at least your avocado on toast.

Loudoun Station

Loudoun Station Development: When stopped at the western-most station on the Silver Line, exit the train and you’re in the modish shopping, dining, residential and office precinct named Loudoun Station. There’s an AMC Cinema here, an outpost of the lively Mexican restaurant Señor Tequila's and various other franchise restaurants such as Blackfinn Ameripub. It’s not all chains however. If you are in Loudoun to visit friends or family, The Cornichon is the wildly successful cheese and charcuterie catering business of female entrepreneur Regina Alvir run out of the kitchen of The Famous Toastery. Alvir curates delicious boards and boxes of cured meats (salami, soppressata, ham), cheeses, pickles, fruits, nuts and more. The artful presentations are perfect for gifts, private gatherings, office parties and other celebrations.

The Zone: Traveling with the family? Let off steam at this vast indoor entertainment complex in the northern corner of Loudoun Station that features a range of hi-tech games for kids and adults, from bowling and laser tag to virtual reality and a variety of arcade games. There’s also a full-service bar and restaurant (TVs tuned to live sports), an outdoor patio and event rooms for private parties. Get in the Zone!

Washington & Old Dominion Railroad Regional Park: Long before the Silver Line the only train system out this way was the Washington & Old Dominion Railroad. Built in 1900, the W&OD ceased operating in 1968 but since the 1970s its former railway bed has been transformed into a paved scenic hiking, cycling and in parts equestrian trail – “the skinniest park in Virginia.” Load your bike on the train, exit at Loudoun Station and make your way to Old Ox Brewery, 3.4 miles north, to access the trail. The path runs for about 20 miles in Loudoun, from Sterling in the east through Ashburn and Leesburg before ending in Purcellville in the foothills of the Blue Ridge out west, winding through lush farmland along the way. Happy riding.

Ashburn Ice House: If you’re not a cyclist, maybe you want to bring your ice skates on the train. Long before ION International Training Center started hosting professional skating in Leesburg, there was the Ashburn Ice House. Now in its 25^th year, and located just two miles from the station, the facility features two NHL size rinks, a video arcade, a small restaurant and a spacious second floor lounge area from which to watch the skaters below. There are several hours a day for public skate, as well as lessons, ice hockey leagues, synchro skating teams and a pro shop to buy all the right gear. Ice, ice baby.

Clyde's at Willow Creek Farm: Some restaurants are so successful they become institutions. Less than a 10 minute rideshare from Loudoun Station, Clyde’s at Willow Creek Farm, sister restaurant of the famous Old Ebbitt Grill in Washington, D.C., is one such place. It’s a vast barn-like space with multiple dining rooms, private rooms, a carriage house cigar lounge, a buzzy bar and a shaded al fresco terrace that in spring and summer feels like you could be dining in Provence or Tuscany. The Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes are a hit as is the spectacular Maine lobster with coleslaw, French fries and lemon butter.

While the Metro may stop in eastern Loudoun, it is putting visitors much closer to the 50 -plus vineyards that make up DC’s Wine Country®. In the coming months transportation companies like Cork and Keg Tours will offer full-service tours that pick visitors up from Loudoun Station for curated experiences at up to three craft beverage venues, such as wineries, breweries and distilleries. For additional transportation opportunities from Metro to the vineyards, check out our transportation page here.

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